Dispenser



Jan. 3, 19 67 H. J. s E 3,295,901

DISPENSER Filed June 21, "1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTOR. //4ea40 Baez/2 United States Patent C) 3,295,901 DHSPENSER Harold J. Fischer, North Freedom, Wis., assignor to Hankscraft Company, Reedsburg, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed June 21, 1965, Ser. No. 465,548 12 Claims. (Cl. 312-91) This invention relates to a dispenser, and more particularly, to an integral, all-plastic dispenser for the dispensing of cotton applicators.

As disclosed in the John F. Castner application for US. Letters Patent Serial No. 329,661, filed December 11,

1963, now Patent No. 3,233,729, assigned to the same assignee as the instant application, cotton applicators are suitably mounted on flexible strip material, transversely of the length thereof, for ready dispensing from a package containing a plurality of tiered layers of such carded applicators. The present application has for one of its objects to provide a dispenser for receiving disposable carton or package of such carded cotton applicators, with the dispenser so arranged and constructed that it may be mounted upon a vertical or other surface for semi-automatic separation and manual withdrawal of the cotton applicators therefrom as required. The construction and arrangement of the dispenser of my invention is such that upon pulling the end of the strip material through a slot of the dispenser, individual cotton applicators are drawn through another dispensing slot and are automatically released from the strip material for sequential and orderly manual withdrawal from the dispenser.

It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide a permanent. type of dispenser, preferably formed integrally of a synthetic plastic material and of pleasing design and novel and simple construction, such that a disposable carton comprising a package of cotton applicators can be placed bodily therein and the applicators dispensed therefrom in a facile and orderly manner.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and accompanying sheets of drawings, in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of my invention is shown by way of illustrative example, and in which similar reference numerals represent similar features of construction.

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a filled dispenser embodying the features of my invention and illustrating its operation;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the broken line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, broken, front elevational view of the dispenser by itself;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the line IV1V of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the upper end of the dispenser.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral indicates generally a dispenser embodying the principles of my present invention. Said dispenser 10 is a relatively thin-walled structure, preferably formed integrally of a molded, synthetic plastic material, such as styrene. It is a unitary article of manufacture with no moving parts that is adapted to be mounted in a generally vertical position, such as against a wall 11 (FIG. 2), by means of a screw 12 passing through an opening 13 formed for the purpose in the rear wall 14 of the dispenser. As will be described more specifically hereinafter, the dispenser 19 is an open receptacle so constructed as to receive a package 15 of cotton applicators, indicated by the reference numeral 16,

mounted upon laterally flanged, flexible strip material 17 and releasably held thereon in reentrant slots 19 in the side fianges'18. Each of said swabs consists of a stick 6t formed of wood, plastic or other suitable material, carrying at each end a swab of cotton 61 spun thereabout. This manner of mounting or carding cotton applicators on strip material is described and claimed in the aforesaid pending application Serial No. 329,561. The package 15 represents the package in which the cotton applicators are contained and is, generally speaking, a box-like carton or container of relatively inexpensive cardboard, or fiberboard, construction such that it may be disposed of when emptied. The dispenser of my invention is for receiving such a disposable package, or container, of cotton applicators, for the purpose of facilitating the removal therefrom of the applicators in a one-at-a-time manner by a combined automatic and manual operation.

The dispenser 10 includes a pair of relatively thin, shallow side walls 20 and 21 that are integrally formed with and project forwardly from the back wall 14 at right angles to the plane thereof. The side walls 20 and 21 are identical in structure and configuration and both start from a point, as at 22, below the opening 13 as relatively thin plates of relatively shallow extent and increase gradually in height outwardly and downwardly to a point 23. From the point 23, the side walls 20 and 21 are of uniform outward height along a side wall edge portion 24, beyond which the side walls again are of reduced height along a sloping edge 25. The down- Wardly sloping edges 25 are substantially straight and merge with the lower edge 26 of a planar lip portion 27 that forms an outwardly and downwardly inclined extension of the rear Wall 14.

Said lip portion 27 extends the full width of the dispenser between the side walls 20 and 21 as a continuous generally planar extension of the rear Wall 14 from the lower end of said rear wall, as at 28, to said lower edge 26. The lower straight edge 26 of said lip portion 27 is provided centrally with an arcuate shaped recess 30 that provides access for a thumb or finger to facilitate gripping the end 31 of a strip 17, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. Along the upper portion of said lip 27, there is provided a transversely extending slot 32 that is relatively narrow for the central portion of its extent and that is made effectively wider in both transverse and longitudinal extent by longitudinally extending slots 33 and 34, also formed in said lip portion 27. The lower edge 35 of said slot 32 between the slots 33 and 34 is defined by a slightly inwardly and upwardly turned portion 36 of said lip portion 27 that provides a sharp dividing edge 37 (FIG. 3). It is this edge 37 that serves to separate the applicators 16 from the carrier strip 17 as the strip 17 is pulled through said combined slots 32, 33 and 34 (FIG. 2).

As an aid to locating the extent of insertion of the container 15 within the dispenser 10', there are provided forwardly oifset rear wall portions 38 and 39 that extend from a level above to substantially the level 28 where the rear wall 17 merges with the lip 27. The lower end of the rear wall of the inserted package, or container, 15 abuts against the upper ends of said offset rear wall portions 38 and 39, as at 40 (FIG. 2).

The dispenser 10 is also provided With a partial lower end closure wall that extends as an arcuate continuation 41 of a relatively planar transverse portion 42 bridging the side walls 20 and 21 and flush with the straight edge portion 24 of each. Said arcuate portion 41 of the partial end closure wall is provided with a relatively large arcuate recess 43 that extends from the terminal edge 44 back to the transverse planar portion 42.

Ch either side of said recess 43 and integral with the partial end closure wall 41 is an inwardly projecting barrier wall 45, as best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, each of which barrier walls 45 is provided along its inner and upper edge with a plurality of stepped portions 46' and 47 of varying widths that function as stops for tiers 48 and 49 of other applicator-carrying strip material 17. Still more outwardly positioned tiers 50 and 51 of like strip material abut at their lower ends against a wider stop 52 defined by an upper edge of each of the barrier walls 45. The inner and upper surfaces of said barrier walls 45 are spaced apart by a distance less than the intermediate lengths of the sticks 6i and by approximately the same distance as is represented by the transverse extent of the sharp dividing edge 37, and also by the maximum transverse width of the arcuate recess 43. The dimension of this distance is less than the transverse spacing between the edge flanges 18 of the strips 17, and, of course, of the spacing between the cotton swaibs s1 on the stick ends, whereby the intermediate stick portions of the applicators 16 become exposed as the strips are pulled downwardly, one at a time, While the lateral flange portions 18 are accommodated by the slots 33 and 34 (FIG. 1) until the leading end of the strip 17 passes through the slot 32 and in back of the lip portion 27.

Upper surfaces 55 above said slot 32 are slightly for w'ardly inclined downwardly from the plane of the rear wall. These surfaces 55 are at the ends of said slot 32 and are of a width equal to the transverse widths of the respective slots 33 and 34. The provision of such outwardly turned surfaces 55 insures guidance of the leading strip 17 to a position in back of the sharp dividing edge 37 and through the slot 32.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, where the dispenser is supported in a substantially vertical position against the wall 11, a package or container can be inserted into the open upper end of said dispenser and guided by the side walls 29 and 21 into its operative position within said dispenser, with the back wall of the container 15 abutting against the upper edge of the stops 39 as at 40. Before insertion of the package 15 into the dispenser 10, of course, the lower end of the dispenser has been opened up so that the lower rear edge of the carton can engage against the stops 39 and the rearnrost of the tiers of applicator-carrying strips 17 in dispensing position, but above the lip portion 27. When in this position, the other tiers 49, 48, 5t? and 51 are in abutting relationship to the Upper edge surfaces of the barrier walls 45 that provide the stops 47, 46 and 52.

By virtue of the thumb-shaped recess 43 in the partial lower end closure 42, any-one desiring to remove an applicator 16 from the dispenser can guide the carrier strip 17 through the slot 32 and then, by grabbing the lea-ding end 31 of said strip, pull the strip downwardly and simultaneously effect the separation of the leading cotton applicator 16 from said strip. Such separation is partly automatic due to the camming action of the applicator 6 1 sliding over and against the forwardly and downwardly sloping outer surface of the lip 27. The leading applicator 16, after passing :beyond the dividing edge 37, moves along a path defined by the outwardly and downwardly inclined surface of the lip portion 27, while the backing strip 17 is guided by the lower edge of the slot 32 along a vertical path. Because of the divergency of these two paths, a separation takes place between the leading applicator 16 and backing strip in the course of which the stick' portion 60 pulls out of the ireentrant slots 19 and the applicator is released completely.

The material of said strip and its lateral flange 18 is sufficiently thin and yielding to permit the easy release of the applicator in the manner just described. Successive applicators are similarly released, as desired, and the operation made relatively simple and foolproof by merely pulling down on the leading end of the carrier strip 31. Whenever the leading end of the carrier strip becomes so long as to be unsightly, it can be torn off back to the edge 26, thereby still leaving enough of the end of the carrier strip for grasping through the thumb-shaped recess 30. After the rearmost layer of the swab-carrying strip material is used up, the next rearmost tier 4% is available through the recess 43 for movement rearwardly off of the stop 47 and into dispensing position.

From the fore-going description, it will be appreciated that the dispenser of my invention is not only simple in design and construction, but also simple in operation, and, to an extent, automatic in its dispensing operation, yet with no moving parts. From the hygienic standpoint, the fact that the dispenser is made integrally of relatively thin-walled synthetic plastic material is an advantage, since it can be easily cleaned and maintained in a clean condition. The construction of the dispenser is such that a very considerable number of cotton applicators, for instance, as many as 180, can be encompassed within a relatively small size of dispenser, and without danger that some of the cotton applicators will be hung up within the dispenser and therefore not available for the dispensing operation.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as any invention:

1. A dispenser comprising an open front member for positioning in a generally vertical position having a substantially planar rear wall and shallow side walls forming therewith a receptacle for a rectangular filler,

said member having a lower forwardly sloping end lip extending from said rear wall and a rearwardly directed end wall extending from said side walls toward but spaced from said lip to provide a dispensing slot therebetween, and

said end wall having on its rear surf-ace forwardly projecting stepped stops for cooperation with the articles to be dispensed to facilitate orderly dispensing thereof.

2. A dispenser as defined b-y claim 1, wherein,

said member, walls, end lip and stops are integrally formed of a synthetic plastic material.

3. A. dispenser as defined by claim 1, wherein,

said end lip is provided with spaced slots defining therebetween a thin-edged divider dividing said dispenser slot into a rear portion and a front portion.

4. A dispenser as defined by claim 3, wherein,

said end lip and end wall have centrally disposed cutouts of arcuate shape. 5. A dispenser for the dispensing of cotton swabs releasably carried by strip material in a box-like container, said dispenser comprising an open front member for position in a generally vertical position having a substantially planar rear wall and forwardly extending planar side walls forming with said rear wall a receptcle for said container,

said rear wall having shallow stops for limiting the extent of insertion of said box-like container, said member having a lower forwardly sloping end lip extending from said rear wall from a point below said stops and a rearwardly directed lower end Wall extending from said side walls toward but spaced from said lip to provide a dispensing slot therebetween,

said end wall having on its rear surface forwardly projecting stepped stops for cooperation with the cotton swabs to facilitate orderly dispensing thereof, and

said end lip having longitudinally extending spaced slots defining therebetween a thin-edged divider in said dispensing slot for separating said swabs from their carrier strip material as said strip material is passed through said dispensing slot from said container.

6. A dispenser as defined by claim 5, wherein,

said dispenser is formed integrally of a synthetic plastic material.

7. A dspenser for the dispensing of stick-like articles releasabl-y carded on a flexible, easily tearable strip, said dispenser comprising an open-article-re-ceiving receptacle having means partially closing one end of said receptacle to provide an article slot for the dispensing therethrough of said articles and a strip slot @for the passage therethrough of said strip, and

dividing means integral with said receptacle between saideslots to separate said articles from said strip as said strip is drawn through its slot.

8. A dispenser as defined by claim 7, wherein,

said dispenser is integrally formed of a synthetic plastic material with no moving parts.

9. A dispenser as defined by claim 8, wherein,

said receptacle has a substantially planar rear wall and sidel walls normal thereto for the insertion and reception therein for dispensing of a package of said carded strips in tiers, and

stop means for temporarily retaining other tiers from moving into dispensing position until the tier next to said back wall has been dispensed.

10. A dispenser as defined by claim 9, wherein,

said dividing means is formed by a sharp edge along said strip slot and a surface sloping away from the plane of said rear wall.

11. A dispenser as defined by claim 10, wherein,

said closing means include a partial closing wall curved toward said slots and stop means ahead of said slots for limiting the extent of inseition of said package into said receptacle.

12. A dispenser as defined by claim 11, wherein,

other slots are provided at the ends of said strip slot to accommodate the edges of said strips.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,601,615 9/ 1926 Francis 206-31 1,657,692 1/1928 Mills 312-73 1,908,185 5/1933 Rinehart 312-73 3,233,729 2/1966 Castner 20656 FOREIGN PATENTS 806,952 1/ 1959 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner. 

7. A DISPENSER FOR THE DISPENSING OF STICK-LIKE ARTICLES RELEASABLY CARDED ON A FLEXIBLE, EASILY TEARABLE STRIP, SAID DISPENSER COMPRISING AN OPEN-ARTICLE-RECEIVING RECEPTACLE HAVING MEANS PARTIALLY CLOSING ONE END OF SAID RECEPTACLE TO PROVIDE AN ARTICLE SLOT FOR THE DISPENSING THERETHROUGH OF SAID ARTICLES AND A STRIP SLOT FOR THE PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF SAID STRIP, AND DIVIDING MEANS INTEGRAL WITH SAID RECEPTACLE BETWEEN SAID SLOTS TO SEPARATE SAID ARTICLES FROM SAID STRIP AS SAID STRIP IS DRAWN THROUGH ITS SLOT. 